Poll: Does having children affect your work capacity? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
|
|---|
This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Does having children affect your work capacity?".
View the poll results »
| | | | Angus Stewart 
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:01
Member (2011)
French to English
+ ...
This doesn't affect me as I am happily child free.
| | | | | Other: I don't have children | Aug 3, 2018 |
But judging from the families I know, I would say raising children would definitely affect my productivity.
| | | | | Other (No, not for a long time) | Aug 3, 2018 |
I’m a single parent of three children, but when I started freelancing some 35 years ago they were not small kids anymore (my youngest was 10) and they all knew what my work meant for all of us as a family. Still remember fondly my eldest son whispering, sometimes even shouting, to his sisters: “Please be quiet, Mummy is working!”. Looking back, I think they affected my work positively, as without them I wouldn’t have worked so hard…
| | |
|
|
|
My daughter is grown, but she can even help me with a lot of things.
| | | |
I've been a single dad since my son was 2, he's 12 now.
Having kids is just a part of life and spending time on and with them is part of the daily routine. We translators can easily adjust our work around them so I don't see why it would affect productivity.
| | | | Veerle Geens
New Zealand
Local time: 23:01
Member (2016)
English to Dutch
+ ...
| Other: no children | Aug 3, 2018 |
I don't have any children (yet?) but as the daughter of a translator I can say i still have an influence on my mum since she's besides my mum also my translation mentor and the one that gets all my questions .
I remember it was great for us when we were younger since it meant flexibility and a mum that was a lot at home (even though working). Though I also think it means never really being "done". Between the kids, cook... See more I don't have any children (yet?) but as the daughter of a translator I can say i still have an influence on my mum since she's besides my mum also my translation mentor and the one that gets all my questions.
I remember it was great for us when we were younger since it meant flexibility and a mum that was a lot at home (even though working). Though I also think it means never really being "done". Between the kids, cooking, cleaning and translating I felt like she never had a moment of relaxation. Somehow it felt different for my dad coming home after a day of work to be done than for my mum. But this is something we all know I guess and is the trap of working at home. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | I don't have children | Aug 3, 2018 |
But my spouse sometimes has the mentality of a 3-year old. Does that count?
| | |
|
|
|
Edwige Thomas
France
Local time: 13:01
Member (2014)
English to French
+ ...
Angus Stewart wrote:
This doesn't affect me as I am happily child free.
Same here. I would also insist on "happily"
| | | | Maria Krasn
Russian Federation
Local time: 14:01
English to Russian
+ ...
I answered 'yes', though it refers more not to my work but to my marketing capacity. I wish I could spend more time answering KudoZ questions or browsing jobs, or even communicating here in the forums, but at the moment I am actually limited to answering to requests of those clients who find me in the directory and to working with regular clients. Luckily, these are enough to keep me busy )) And of course, sometimes I have to reject urgent jobs, this is a pity as they always keep you up and most... See more I answered 'yes', though it refers more not to my work but to my marketing capacity. I wish I could spend more time answering KudoZ questions or browsing jobs, or even communicating here in the forums, but at the moment I am actually limited to answering to requests of those clients who find me in the directory and to working with regular clients. Luckily, these are enough to keep me busy )) And of course, sometimes I have to reject urgent jobs, this is a pity as they always keep you up and mostly are fun.
Anyway, I started freelancing when my third child was half a year and since then had the fourth little monkey, and now can confidently say that there is nothing impossible when you love your job AND having children )) ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Don't get me started... | Aug 3, 2018 |
I have two daughters (4 and 6) and I work from home, so I have first-hand experience.
Do they affect productivity? Well, that's a tricky question. Once you have kids, there's this constant anxiety about whether you'll be able to cover their (many) needs, and as they grow there's certain expenses you just can't put on hold (clothes, education, holidays, and a long, long etcetera). So, in a way, they force you to be more productive, because you know they depend 100% on you. The unpre... See more I have two daughters (4 and 6) and I work from home, so I have first-hand experience.
Do they affect productivity? Well, that's a tricky question. Once you have kids, there's this constant anxiety about whether you'll be able to cover their (many) needs, and as they grow there's certain expenses you just can't put on hold (clothes, education, holidays, and a long, long etcetera). So, in a way, they force you to be more productive, because you know they depend 100% on you. The unpredictable nature of this profession adds a new dimension to the usual levels of anxiety and uncertainty that come with parenthood.
On the other hand, (small) children do affect productivity, but I guess you just compensate for that by working at otherwise highly unusual times of the day. All nighters become more frequent once you have kids, as the best time to work is when they are sleeping. Add to that the daily commute to school, cooking, paediatric consultations and adjudicating on their usual end-of-the-world quarrels —which usually revolve around whether Peppa Pig or Thomas are next on the Netflix queue—, and children can be a definite drag on productivity. Making use of any children-free slot you can find during the day becomes of the essence. I've found myself translating in the car while waiting to pick them up from school millions of times in these last few years.
On the bright side —and there's many, many wonderful things about parenthood—, freelancing has enabled me to be there for my wife and kids since day one of conception, so to speak, right from the first doctor appointment, and to all pediatric visits, vaccinations, and check-ups ever since. Yeah, I know it doesn't sound at all exciting, but "excitement" is a totally subjective notion, and I'm happy freelancing has allowed me to have a more hands-on role in raising my offspring, hehe.
From a purely financial perspective, I'm making more money now than I used to before having kids, so they can't be such a big drag on productivity. I guess it all comes down to being willing to introduce some changes in your work routine. All in all, it's quite fun. I do enjoy myself tremendously! ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Insensitive question | Aug 4, 2018 |
Has it really not occurred to those behind the poll that some folk here might find it, let’s say, ‘discourteous’ even to ask the question?
For example, those who (for whatever reason) cannot have children?
| | |
|
|
|
Mario Freitas
Brazil
Local time: 08:01
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
My kids are all grown up, so it's quite rare for their issues to interfere in my job now. It happens every now and then, but it never takes more than half an hour, unless they are sick or something like that. Then they will be my priority. But it's pretty rare, so I can't consider it a "yes".
| | | |
Ido not have a child so this poll is not for me.
| | | | Sarah Hirsch
United States
Local time: 07:01
Spanish to English
+ ...
| I can relate! | Aug 5, 2018 |
Nina Khmielnitzky wrote:
But my spouse sometimes has the mentality of a 3-year old. Does that count?
Hahahahahahaha
| | | | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Poll: Does having children affect your work capacity? | Anycount & Translation Office 3000 | Translation Office 3000
Translation Office 3000 is an advanced accounting tool for freelance translators and small agencies. TO3000 easily and seamlessly integrates with the business life of professional freelance translators.
More info » |
| | Trados Studio 2022 Freelance | The leading translation software used by over 270,000 translators.
Designed with your feedback in mind, Trados Studio 2022 delivers an unrivalled, powerful desktop
and cloud solution, empowering you to work in the most efficient and cost-effective way.
More info » |
|
| | | | X Sign in to your ProZ.com account... | | | | | |
Login to reply/comment 
